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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24040105">Birdsitting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666/pseuds/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666'>The_Devil_In_The_Details_666</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All The Batfam BS [58]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Regression/De-Aging, De-Aged Dick Grayson, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Tim Drake is So Done, lots and lots of fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:56:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24040105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666/pseuds/The_Devil_In_The_Details_666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce so owes Tim after this. </p><p>(Or: Dick Grayson is 12 again. Tim Drake somehow got roped into babysitting him. This can't end well.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson &amp; Jason Todd, Tim Drake &amp; Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All The Batfam BS [58]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>626</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“There is literally not enough money in the world, Bruce.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce gave Tim a pleading look as the sound of a child’s laughter echoed from one of the sitting rooms and Tim shook his head, answering, “No. Hell no. Nope. I refuse. I’m not babysitting a de-aged Dick. He doesn’t even know who I am. I have work, classes, patrol; I don’t have time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce looked desperate and bribed, “I will do anything you want, Tim. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> bring Dick on this mission and Alfred is visiting his daughter. It’s either you or Steph and I do not trust Steph to not corrupt him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Damian?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In San Francisco.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Babs?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dick already knew her at this age. He’ll recognize her.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Cass?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Laughed in my face and closed the door on me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim narrowed his eyes at Bruce, then mused, “That’s fair. I’m wishing I had ignored your text right now. You’ll do anything, huh? Even letting me try out the new Bat-AI I want to make?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce looked relieved and answered, “Absolutely. I’ll even let you upload it to the old Batcomputer for testing. If it works, we can see about uploading it to the main computer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim pretended to think it over, then sighed, “Fine. Jay and I will stay here and watch him until you get back. Does he know he’s been de-aged?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce looked incredibly relieved and stated, “Thank you, Tim. He… kinda knows. Zatanna told me that telling him the truth could cause the spell to be permanent, so I told him he got hurt in a fight and has been in a coma. We should go introduce you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim rolled his eyes, but followed Bruce into the sitting room, where Dick was doing a handstand on the back of the couch. He grinned at Bruce, then flopped forwards onto the couch and rolled over, asking Tim, “Who’re you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim smiled and stepped forward, holding out a hand and introducing, “Tim Drake. I’m a friend of Bruce’s.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick nodded and Bruce stated, “Tim and his husband will be watching you while I’m on my mission.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick tilted his head and asked, “Does he know about…?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim couldn’t help his laugh at Dick’s complete lack of subtlety and answered, “About Batman and Robin? Yeah. I’m a hero, too. After you… Got injured, I started going out as Red Robin to honor you without taking your place.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick’s eyes went wide and he asked, “Really? B’s letting other people operate in Gotham now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce looked pained and Tim bit back a laugh, stating, “Bruce didn’t get much say in it. Jay and I… Aren’t known for taking ‘no’ for an answer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick looked curious, querying, “You and… Who’s Jay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My husband.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick cooed at that and asked, “Really? So you’re, like, a crime-fighting couple? That’s so cute!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim bit back a laugh and answered, “Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick did a cartwheel off the couch and sprang up, exclaiming, “WAIT, does that mean I can go out on patrol with you guys?!?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bruce tensed up and Tim answered, “We’ll see. If you behave, we might take you out with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick beamed at that and Bruce protested, “Tim, that’s-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim gave Bruce a Look and cut him off, “Save it, Bruce. We’re not gonna let him get hurt. I’ll even keep him with me instead of sending him with Jay into the Bowery if that’s what you’re worried about. But we both know Jay is too protective of kids to let him get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick gave Bruce a pair of puppy-dog eyes to rival Titus and Bruce looked constipated, apparently having realized that he wasn’t winning the argument as he started, “I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim raised an eyebrow, doing a ‘get on with it’ hand wave, and Bruce gritted out, “I trust you and Jason to make that judgement call, Tim.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick cheered and Tim couldn’t help his smirk, teasing, “Wow, that sounded like it hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bruce looked like he was in pain and turned to Dick, instructing, “If they take you out, I expect you to do everything they tell you to do, understood?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick beamed and chirped, “Only if their orders are smart.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. All of their orders. They’ve been doing this for years and their job is to keep you safe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim pressed one hand to his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh as Dick pouted, complaining, “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>12</span>
  </em>
  <span>, B! I can make safe decisions for myself!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they argued, Tim pulled out his phone, sending a text to Jason to explain and request that he pack a bag for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Jason couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Sure, Tim had texted him and told him, but there was a stark difference between the words “Dick is 12 again” and the actual, living, breathing, 12-year old Dick Grayson who was doing a handstand on Bruce’s shoulders. Tim had his phone out, filming, and was shaking with laughter as he turned the camera on Jason. Jason tried to school his expression and remind himself that Dick had no idea who he was, then took a deep breath and asked, “So, is this the kid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bruce looked incredibly done with his own existence and stated, “Yes. Jason, this is Dick Grayson. Dick, this is Tim’s husband, Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick gave Jason a bright grin and leaned forward, falling off Bruce’s shoulders and doing a front flip before landing on his feet and chirping, “Hi!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim gave Jason a look, mouthing ‘Play nice’, and Jason gave Dick a smile, greeting, “Good to meet you, kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bruce gestured for Jason to follow him and Jason rolled his eyes, stating, “I’ll be right back, short-stack.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick puffed up in a way distinctly reminiscent of Damian, arguing, “I’m not short! I am perfectly average for my age! You’re just weirdly tall!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ruffled Dick’s hair, trying to hide his smile as Dick leaned into the touch like a cat. Then he followed Bruce out into the hallway. Bruce’s expression was grave and Jason felt himself tense up, bracing for bad news. Bruce took a deep breath, looking like he was bracing himself, then, sounding like each word was being dragged out of him with pliers and accompanied with a kick in the balls, stated, “I trust you and Tim to make the right call on whether or not to introduce him to the others, Barbara excluded. As well as in determining… In determining whether or not to allow Dick to patrol with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s training was the only thing stopping his jaw from dropping and he stared at Bruce for long enough that Bruce began to shift uncomfortably before Jason finally cracked, laughing until he was doubled over with mirthful tears streaming down his cheeks. His stomach ached like he had gotten punched before he finally managed to stop laughing and gasped, “Fuck, B, what the hell do they have on you? You sounded like you were trying to shit out a cactus while saying that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A faint blush rose in Bruce’s cheeks and he clenched his jaw, then relaxed it and took a deep breath, stating, “We’ve had issues in the past, but I trust you not to let him get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something warm bloomed in Jason’s chest at the admittance that Bruce trusted him and, not wanting to show that, he clapped Bruce on the shoulder and answered, “Munchkin is safe with us, don’t worry. We both know Damian would skin us alive if anything happened to his favorite brother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tension still lingering was swept away by Bruce’s laugh and Jason couldn’t help his own laugh as Bruce stated, “You do have a point there, Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I always have a point, old man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if his voice was fonder than it normally was when he spoke to Bruce, well, that was no one’s business but his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They basically had to chase him out, but Bruce was soon on his way to the Watchtower for his mission, leaving Jason, Tim, and Dick alone. Dick was happily doing his thing on the gym setup in the Cave, with Tim and Jason off to one side, keeping one eye on Dick and the other on their own respective projects. Tim was going through the paperwork Tam had been kind enough to bring him and leaning against Jason, who was scrolling Pinterest and occasionally reading out recipes to get Tim’s opinion on them. The scene would have looked relatively peaceful, a quiet that was interrupted only by Dick’s gleeful laughter and Jason’s occasional suggestions, if not for Tim muttering curses at the Board of Directors every few pages of the contract he was reading and viciously crossing things out in red pen. His crossing out got more and more aggressive with every page until Jason snorted a laugh, stating, “Take it easy, Baby Bird. You’re gonna rip the paper if you keep that up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim muttered a few choice words and hissed, “Whichever stupid fuck wrote this thing is being removed. I don’t care what I have to do to get it to happen, no one this fucking stupid should be working in business.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed, the asshole, and carded his fingers through Tim’s hair, stating, “If anyone can make it happen, it’s you, Baby Bird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Tim nodded and they lapsed back into quiet for a few moments before Jason asked, “Hey, why did Bruce even ask us? I mean, obviously we’re the sanest people to ask, Babs notwithstanding, but he knows how busy you are and I can’t imagine me being his first choice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim huffed, grumbling, “Apparently no one else is available. We were the last people before Steph and he thought Steph would corrupt Dick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I won’t?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He probably thinks I’ll rein you in and counterbalance your natural inclination towards shit-stirring.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nearly dropped his phone as he laughed, drawing Dick’s attention. Dick did a perfect backflip and landed lightly, then made his way over, looking curious as Jason wheezed, “He thinks you’ll rein me in?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim rolled his eyes and stated, “I never said he was right. It’s not my fault he has a fundamental misunderstanding of who I am as a person and thinks I’m not an agent of chaos.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick flopped down on the floor as soon as he reached them, peering at the contract in Tim’s lap and asking, “What’s that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim smiled at him and answered, “A business contract for work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick wrinkled his nose in a way that made Tim think of baby bunnies and he rolled onto his back, stating, “That’s boring. B wants me to learn about W.E., but it’s so dull. He took  me to work with him one time and it was awful. Everyone was really nice, but it was so quiet and boring and I had to sit still and ugh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim bit back a laugh, having heard the stories about Dick’s visit to W.E. many a time, and asked, “Oh? What sort of career are you thinking about, then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick shrugged and answered, “I dunno. It would be cool to be a cop, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hummed thoughtfully, chiming in, “That would be a good way to use what B taught you. I bet you’d be good at it. Lotta paperwork, though, from what I’ve heard. Tim’s older brother bit- complains about it all the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick wrinkled his nose at the mention of paperwork and Tim couldn’t resist the urge to boop the tip of his nose, taking great joy in paying Dick back for many, many years of nose boops. Dick looked startled by the action, then recovered from his surprise and asked, “B didn’t tell me you had a big brother, Tim. What’s he like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim couldn’t help his laugh and answered, “You remind me a lot of him. He’s pretty cheerful and friendly, too. Very much an extrovert. He’s a police officer in the GCPD.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his arms, asking eagerly, “Can I meet him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim hesitated, not wanting to disappoint Dick, but answered, “Unfortunately, he’s out of town right now. He’s in San Francisco visiting our other brother, Damian.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick frowned, then perked up again and asked, “You have two brothers? That’s cool! I’ve always wanted siblings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim ruffled Dick’s hair and joked, “You can have mine. Except my sister and sister-in-laws, I like them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick laughed and Jason chimed in, teasing, “You don’t want his brothers, Munchkin. Trust me. Seriously, I love him, but he shoulda come with a warning tag. ‘Warning: Very pretty and smart, excellent fighter, has terrible brothers’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim couldn’t hold back his laugh and Dick cooed, gently mocking, “Awwww, you loooovvvvveeee himmmmmmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim didn’t need to see Jason’s face to know that he was grinning like the devil and Jason leaned down, kissing a sloppy kiss to Tim’s mouth. Dick, being a 12-year old boy, immediately pretended to gag and shouted, “THERE ARE YOUNG EYES PRESENT! PDA! PDA!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason pulled away, laughing, and Tim gently elbowed him in the ribs, stating, “Don’t worry, someday you’ll find someone to engage in PDA with and I get the feeling that you’ll never stop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick stuck his tongue out and his stomach rumbled loudly, prompting Jason to nudge Tim and state, “Food time, I think. Whatcha guys want?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim groaned, but got up so Jason could stand. Dick scrambled up as well, answering, “Alfie doesn’t like people messing around in his kitchen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason smirked and answered, “Already worked out. As long as I put everything back where I found it and clean everything up, he agreed to let me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick studied Jason, then shrugged as Tim suggested, “We could do that one chicken pasta dish you wanted to make, the one with the mushrooms?”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason hummed and asked, “You guys willing to help make it? Obviously, I’m not trusting either of you with anything too extreme, but you’d be good at prep work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick grinned and nodded as Tim shrugged, stating, “Sure. I bet Dick would like kneading the pasta dough. That seems like the sort of thing he would enjoy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ruffled Dick’s already-messy hair and laughed, “Probably. C’mon, let’s get cookin’. I’m putting you in charge of ingredient collection and cleaning, Baby Bird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim shrugged and collected his papers, then the trio headed up to the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, Dick loved kneading the pasta dough, cheerfully squishing and squeezing the dough as Jason chopped chicken and mushrooms. Tim, having been put in charge of ingredient collection, was snapping photos of the two, cooing to himself as Jason showed Dick how to knead dough properly and helped him put it through the pasta machine. They looked like a father and son and Tim was surprised by how much he liked the thought of having a kid with Jason. He made a note to bring it up with Jason, then snapped another photo, laughing as Dick stuffed chopped pieces of carrot and bell pepper into his mouth every time Jason turned away from the cutting board.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dinner went off with minimal disasters (Jason made the mistake of asking Tim to make the sauce and Tim misheard the instructions and put 20 teaspoons of sugar instead of 2) and it was soon time to suit up for patrol. The trio trooped down to the Cave and dispersed to get suited up, then regrouped at the computer to go over patrol routes for the night.</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Baby Bird, think B’ll be pissed if I take the Batmobile for a joyride?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim raised an eyebrow as he mapped out the route he and Dick would be taking, knowing Jason would see it in his reflection on the computer screen, then answered, “I think you’ll do it one way or another, so I’m just gonna say to do it now while I work out patrol routes and be back in thirty minutes for patrol.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick, who was sitting on the back of the computer chair, twisted around to look at Jason, stating, “B said he took the keys with him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bold of you to assume that I’m not willing and able to hotwire her, Munchkin.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim rolled his eyes, then shook his head and chimed in, “He keeps the spares in the left boot of the original Batsuit.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do I even want to know?”</p><p> </p><p>“Got bored a while ago, decided to go snooping. He never bothered to move them because it still hasn’t occurred to him that I enjoy chaos just much as you guys do, I’m just better at hiding my hand in the chaos.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason threw his head back and laughed, the deep sound echoing in the Cave. Tim smiled to himself and waved a hand at Jason to get a move on, prompting Jason to press a kiss to his head and hurry off. A few minutes later, the rumble of the engine started and the Batmobile pulled out of the Cave, leaving Tim and Dick in relative peace. Dick leaned his elbow on Tim’s head, then asked, “How’d you and Jason meet?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim smiled and answered, “That’s a long, long story, Dick. The short version is that he knew my older brother and dad.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick hummed and asked, “What’s your brother’s name? You said he’s a cop, does he know that you’re a hero?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim bit back a laugh, knowing the offended look Dick would give him as an adult if he heard Tim say, “My brother’s name is Rick. And yes, he does. He’s a hero, too, in Bludhaven.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick started to say something, but Cass’s picture popped up on Tim’s phone screen and Tim held up a hand, answering the call, “Hello, favorite sibling. What can I do for you?”</p><p> </p><p>Cass giggled and Steph huffed, “Rude, boyfriend! How come whenever I call, you don’t greet me as your favorite something?”</p><p> </p><p>“And what would you be, Steph? My favorite ex-girlfriend? Cause no offense, but Tam didn’t hit me with a brick <em> and </em> she helps with paperwork.”</p><p> </p><p>Steph made a melodramatically offended noise and Cass chimed in, “Favorite blonde.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm, I dunno. Cassie might have you beat. You can be my favorite blonde Bat, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim could practically see Steph roll her eyes as she answered, “I’ll take it. Anyway, boyfriend, Cass told me about the, uh, <em> kid </em>. We want to meet him.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim shot a glance at Dick, who wasn’t even pretending like he wasn’t eavesdropping, then answered, “Let me talk to-”</p><p> </p><p>“I wanna meet them, too!”<br/><br/></p><p>Tim rolled his eyes at Dick’s predictably excited answer and sighed, “Fine. Come back to the Cave after patrol and you can meet him.”</p><p> </p><p>Steph whooped and Cass gave a pleased hum, then hung up. Tim rolled his eyes and finished mapping the patrol route, then sent out the updated routes, sitting back in his chair to wait for Jason. He yawned, wondering if he had enough time to go grab a coffee and maybe do some paperwork that still needed to be done, then nearly jumped out of his skin when Oracle’s glowing green icon filled the screen and her mechanical voice stated, “You look like roadkill, Little Red.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim yawned again and rubbed his eyes, answering, “Yeah, I know. It’s been a busy night.”</p><p> </p><p>Oracle hummed and Dick looked between Tim and the screen, looking alarmed. Tim smiled and introduced, “Robin, meet Oracle, our resident techie. Oracle, Robin.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick glanced at Tim, then greeted awkwardly, “Uh, hi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi there.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim leaned back in his chair again, feeling exhaustion start to pull at him, and took a moment to be thankful that patrol was likely to be easy since he was doing the ‘new Robin’s first patrol’ patrol route instead of his normal one. Dick, having deemed the ice sufficiently broken, began chattering excitedly with Oracle. The sound of the Batmobile reached Tim and he pulled his cowl up, stating, “Hood is here. You running comms tonight, O?”</p><p> </p><p>“Who else would be? Be safe out there, bird boys. And tell Hood to turn on his comms before I hack his helmet and play the Macarena at full volume.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim laughed as the Batmobile slowed to a stop and Jason hopped out, calling, “Hey, O. What’s up?”</p><p> </p><p>“Turn on your comms, Hood.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason tapped the right key sequence into his wrist computer and Oracle gave an approving noise, stating, “Next time, I’m just hacking in and blaring the most obnoxious music I can think of. You’ve been warned.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason laughed and pulled his helmet off, answering, “You love me and you know it, O.”</p><p> </p><p>“That won’t stop me, Hood.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fair enough. We ready to patrol?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim stood, popping his back and answering, “Yep. Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>Patrol was unsurprisingly quiet, a fact for which Tim could not have been more grateful, and they were soon pulling back into the Cave. Tim’s very bones ached with exhaustion, the last few sleepless nights hitting him at once, and he nearly cried when he realized that Cass and Steph would be there soon. Dick scampered off to the showers and Tim walked to the Batcomputer slowly to write his report, wondering if he could postpone the meeting until the morning. The sound of a motorcycle reached Tim’s ears and he slumped, dropping his cape, cowl, and gloves in a heap on the floor beside his chair as he collapsed into it, awaiting Cass and the blonde hurricane that was Steph. Instead, Jason’s motorcycle pulled up and Tim snapped to attention as Jason scrambled off the bike and practically sprinted at him. Tim stood, head spinning for a second, and asked, “Jay, wha- Eep!”</p><p> </p><p>Jason used the hold he had on Tim’s face to turn his head, checking him over and asking, “Where are you hurt, Baby Bird?”</p><p> </p><p>“What? I’m fine? What are you talking about?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason pulled off his helmet and mask quickly, studying Tim and stating, “O called and said I needed to get here as soon as possible. Said you needed me.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim frowned, wondering what the hell Barbara was up to, and the mechanical voice of Oracle came drifting up from the helmet, stating, “Cass and Steph are coming tomorrow morning instead. Get some rest, Little Red. Hood, I expect you to get him to bed by any means necessary.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick emerged from the showers and made his way over, looking curious. Jason said something to him, but Tim was too caught up in thoughts of all the other things that needed to be done. He heard Dick walk away and Jason said something that Tim didn’t catch. Then Tim was being bodily picked up and slung over Jason’s shoulder like a sack of rice. Tim yelped and squirmed, half-shouting, “Jason! What the hell are you doing?!?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason patted Tim’s butt and answered, “Using whatever means necessary to get you into bed. You didn’t look like you were gonna move anytime soon, so I’ll move you.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim squirmed and wiggled and twisted, trying to get himself free, but Jason knew him too well and kept him trapped easily, carrying him upstairs and stating, “Shower, then straight to bed, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick stared at them as they passed the room he was staying in and Jason paused, instructing mockingly, “See, Dick, you need to get yourself a partner who’s portable.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim muttered a few choice phrases and called, “Be warned, said partner is not above making you sleep on the couch, Jay. Or pushing you off the side of a building.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason patted his butt again and continued walking, carrying Tim up to Tim’s bedroom and setting him on the soft rug. He gently pushed Tim towards the bathroom and Tim rolled his eyes, then stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower before turning to look at Jason impatiently, stating, “Fair warning, I can fit out the bathroom window. Also, you smell like a dumpster.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason smirked and joined Tim in the bathroom, stripping his armor off and setting it in a neat pile to take back to the Cave as he answered, “Y’know, Baby Bird, you are allowed to just say you wanna shower with me.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim rolled his eyes and wiggled out of his own suit, then tested the water temperature and got into the shower. Jason followed and Tim sighed as the hot water washed over his sore body. Jason gently massaged his shoulders, then picked up the soap and washcloth, washing Tim down before washing himself. The warm water made quick work of putting Tim off the idea of doing anything other than curling up in bed and he closed his eyes, leaning against the side of the shower until Jason shut off the water and gently herded him out. He dried off and slipped into clean boxers in a sleepy haze, then yelped and jerked awake when Jason scooped him up bridal style, staring up at Jason. Jason began walking and settled Tim in the bed, then tucked the blankets around him and stated, “I need to go make sure Dick is alright, then I’ll be right back.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim nodded and curled up, resolving to stay awake until Jason got back. The lights flicked off and Tim forced himself to stay awake until the bedroom door reopened and Jason returned, settling into the bed and wrapping his arms around Tim. Tim nestled in as Jason murmured, “He’s already asleep, just like you should be.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim tucked his head up under Jason’s chin as Jason’s hand found his hair, then succumbed to his exhaustion and sank into a deep, peaceful sleep. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took a while, Writer's Block has grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go.</p><p>Also, trigger warning for some mild violence and some very brief racism. Like, two sentences.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim woke up to the smell of waffles. They smelled fantastic, mingling with the smells of coffee and bacon, and Tim rolled out of the bed, eyes closed as he followed his nose towards the smell. It wasn’t until he heard giggling that he pried his eyes open and found Dick, Cass, and Steph standing in his doorway. Dick had a mug of coffee in his hands and Cass and Steph were both holding plates, all three giggling. Jason was standing behind the trio, one hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter, and Tim just shuffled to Dick, who handed him the coffee cup. Tim knocked back half the mug, closing his eyes at the blissful taste of coffee, then flailed a hand at Steph and Cass and stated, “I’m getting you back for this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That set off another round of giggles and Tim sighed, opening his eyes again and staring at Jason balefully, asking, “Why are you siding with them? I thought you loved me, Jay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steph, Cass, and Dick all headed off towards the kitchen and Jason leaned in to kiss Tim’s forehead, answering, “Steph wanted to draw on your face. I suggested this instead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim sighed and leaned into Jason, taking another swig of his coffee before sighing, “We should go make sure they don’t do anything else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you forgive me, Baby Bird?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim chuckled and patted Jason’s chest, answering, “Only if you help me take revenge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick was waiting for Tim when he reached the kitchen, bouncing on his toes. The action was so similar to the way Dick acted as an adult that Tim reflexively asked, “What are you about to ask me to do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick looked startled, then answered, “Steph said that you have classes today. Can I come?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim took another sip of his coffee, taking the reprieve to try to remember what day it was and what classes he had, then answered, “I don’t think my accounting professor would approve, but if I email my photography professor, she might let you come.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick bounced eagerly and chirped, “I wanna see an actual college campus. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tim?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim ruffled Dick’s hair and sighed, “Let me email Melany and ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled his phone from his pajama pocket and typed out a quick email to his professor, explaining that he was babysitting for a friend and asking if he could bring the 12-year old to class with him. Then he turned to the kitchen table and sat down, reaching out to snag a waffle and suggesting, “Since you can’t come to my accounting class, Dick, how about you go to the garage with Jay and learn about mechanics. It’ll be a useful life skill. If Melany agrees, we can meet up for lunch and you can come back to campus with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick was practically vibrating, nodding eagerly, and Jason chimed in, “Sounds like fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steph piped up at that, asking, “Speaking of, any chance you have an open spot to take a look at my mom’s car? It keeps stalling out and the engine has been making weird whining sounds. I offered to look at it, but she’s insisting we take it to a professional and frankly, I refuse to deal with the sleazy shi- jerk that she’s been going to. Seriously, if the dude takes one more look at my tits, I’m gonna put his head through the windshield.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cass nodded wisely and added, “Creep. Should investigate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim added ‘look into Steph’s mom’s creepy mechanic’ to his mental to-do list, then pulled out his phone when it buzzed and looked at the email from his professor. He sent Dick a smile and stated, “Make sure you bring a change of clothes so you’re not coming to class with me all covered in grease.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick cheered and Tim ruffled his hair again as Jason turned to Steph and said, “Bring the car by whenever you can and I’ll give you a discount on it. Call it the ‘ex-girlfriend of my husband who is currently engaged to said husband’s sister’ discount.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steph grinned and Cass nodded approvingly, then pushed the bacon towards Tim with a pointed look. He took a few strips of bacon and another waffle, shoveling them into his mouth, then nearly choked when his phone started ringing. He swallowed down his food and swiped to answer the call, greeting, “Hey, Kon, what’s up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The answering shriek made his ears ring and Tim held the phone at arm’s length, looking to the heavens for help until the shrieking petered out and he put the phone back to his ear, asking, “What the fuck, Bart?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of another of Bart’s dying-cat screams, Kon shouted, “YOU HAVE A FUCKING </span>
  <em>
    <span>KID </span>
  </em>
  <span>AND YOU DIDN’T </span>
  <em>
    <span>TELL </span>
  </em>
  <span>US?!?!? WHAT THE HELL, BRO?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim closed his eyes, regretting his life choices, and asked, “What are you talking about, Kon?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steph, Cass, Dick, and Jason were all turning red as they tried not to laugh and Tim gave all of them death glares as Bart blurted out something that was way too fast for Tim to make sense of. Tim sighed and Kon stated, “You texted out a picture of him with Jason last night, dude! Barry woke up this morning to it and called Bart freaking the fuck out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sent a picture of some kid with black hair and blue eyes making dinner with Jason to the JL group chat last night! Haven’t you looked at your messages?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly? I mostly ignore the group chats unless something interesting hap- WAIT, I DID WHAT?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He yanked the phone away from his ear like it had burned him and pulled up his messaging app, where the Justice League group chat (that he wasn’t technically supposed to be in, not that that had ever stopped him) had racked up an impressive number of texts, most of which were variations on “You have a kid?!?” He scrolled back through the ten thousand texts to where the incriminating photo was. It was one that Tim had meant to send to the family group chat, but he realized with mounting horror that he had been so exhausted that he had sent it to the wrong chat. Bart was chattering away, but Tim had basically shut down, staring at his coffee cup and regretting all of his life choices. Finally, Jason snagged the phone from his hand and stated, “I think you guys broke him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim set his head on the table and very calmly stated, “Please excuse me as I hibernate for the rest of eternity. I don’t need to be awake. You guys don’t need me, you can just teach a- Ow! Hey!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pouted up at Steph, who had just smacked the back of his head, and she scolded, “No. Bad Timmy. No self-deprecation allowed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim stuck his tongue out at her and Jason set his phone down on the table, pressing a kiss to the back of Tim’s head where Steph had smacked and teasing, “I can show you how much I need you, Baby Bird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason Peter Todd! There is a young child present!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steph’s outburst dragged a laugh out of Tim and Jason stated, “I cleared up the whole thing, Baby Bird. Sent a text apologizing for the scare and explaining that we’re just babysitting the munchkin, not keeping him yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim sat up, then held out his arms for a hug, whispering, “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He distantly heard Dick ask “Is he always this dramatic?”, to which Steph answered “No, he’s usually worse”, then realized something with a jolt and pulled away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jay, what do you mean, ‘yet’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason blushed and looked away, mumbling something that was too quiet for Tim to catch. Before Tim could ask for a repeat, Cass cleared her throat and shot a pointed look at the clock, making Jason swear as he realized that he was gonna be late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tim was sitting in his accounting lecture, wondering if he could sneak out without the professor noticing, when his phone lit up. He looked down at it, then grinned at the text from Steph. It was a</span>
  <span> picture of Jason and Dick, leaning over the engine of a car as Jason pointed something out to Dick. Dick had a smear of grease on the tip of his nose, presumably from Jason booping him, and Tim cooed to himself, texting a heart emoji to Steph before putting his phone away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When they met up for lunch, Jason had acquired a matching grease smear on his own nose. Dick was grinning as he headed to the bathroom to wash up and change and Tim smiled, leaning over to kiss Jason and stating, “Steph sent me a very cute picture of you and Dick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason blushed and rubbed his nose against Tim’s, smearing grease onto Tim’s nose before answering, “She sent it to the rest of the family, too. Damian texted me to tell me that I would make an acceptable father.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“High praise, coming from him. He’s not wrong. You’d make a good dad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blush rose higher in Jason’s cheeks, turning the tips of his ears a very cute pink, and he shifted in his seat, starting, “About that. Have you ever… Do you… Um…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trailed off, blush darkening, as Dick returned. Dick gave them a suspicious look, then asked, “You guys weren’t doing something weird while I was in the bathroom, were you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim, unable to resist the urge, gave a mischievous smirk and answered, “We might have been.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick fake-gagged and Tim hooked his ankle with Jason’s as the waitress came over to their table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick was practically vibrating with excitement as he followed Tim to the tiny little photography room in the basement of Gotham University’s art building, bouncing on his toes. Tim stopped outside the door and turned to Dick, stating firmly, “Behave yourself. Melany is doing us a huge favor by letting me bring you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick nodded and answered, “I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim nodded, then opened the door, leading Dick in. His three classmates all looked at Dick and, after several long seconds, Taylor asked, “Tim. Why do you have a child?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim sighed and stated, “This is Dick. I’m babysitting him. It’s a long story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jenny gave a snort of laughter and Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again as Taylor answered, “Y’know what, Drake. I’m not gonna ask. I don’t wanna know. But if I see that you got arrested for kidnapping or surprise adoption or whatever you weirdos do, I’m gonna come visit you in prison so that I can laugh in your face.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Melany cleared her throat and gave the group a pointed look, gesturing for them to sit so she could explain their assignment for the week. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they were on their way to the bank before heading home, Tim was exhausted, both from Dick’s seemingly endless reserves of energy and the nonstop mockery that Taylor, Jack, and Jenny had kept up throughout the class. He was so exhausted, in fact, that he didn’t notice the robbers until there was a gun held to the side of his head and a man shouting, “Everyone get on the floor or I’ll blow these kids’ fuckin’ brains out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A second gunman had Dick and Tim bit back his reflexive snarky response, then slowly stated, “Let the kid go. I’m worth more as a hostage than you’ll get from this bank. Just let the kid go and take me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gun was slammed into the side of his head and the man holding him snarled, “Shut it, Dra-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has a point. Wayne would pay well to keep his little bitch boy safe. Call the boss.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A third robber pulled out a phone and Tim strained his ears, trying to overhear the conversation. He could catch snippets, just enough to know that they were changing from robbery to kidnapping. Then his arms were being forced behind him and being bound with rough ropes. The man with the gun to Dick’s head bound Dick’s wrists and Tim cursed to himself as the man creepily stroked the side of Dick’s face with his gun, stating, “Your little friend here should make sure you behave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then they were being hauled out to a stereotypical black van and thrown in the back. One of the men climbed in with them and the van began driving moments later. Dick, thankfully, didn’t look too scared and wiggled over from where he’s been thrown to curl against Tim’s side. He shot the man a look, then, in French, whispered, “What do we do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In an instant, the man had a gun to Dick’s head, snarling, “The fuck did you just say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim’s heart missed a beat and he blurted, “He doesn’t speak English! He was asking me what’s happening!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man scowled and spat on Dick, scoffing, “Fucking foreigners. Learn English, you piece of shit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim fought back the reflexive urge to make the man swallow his own teeth, and the man scoffed, pulling out his phone. Tim waited until he was engrossed in whatever he was doing on it before whispering back, “Wait. I used my distress signal, so Jay is on the way. Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick nodded, though Tim wasn’t sure if it was acceptance of the plan or acknowledging that he was okay, and curled closer to Tim, clearly seeking out comfort and reassurance. Tim made a mental note to give Dick as many hugs as the kid could stand as soon as they were free and murmured, “We’re having a movie night tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick smiled weakly and they lapsed back into silence until the van stopped and they were being hauled out of the van into a warehouse. Tim rolled his eyes at the cliche as their wrists were untied and locked into manacles connected to the wall, then shot a look at Dick, who gave him another weak smile. A man in a sleek black suit, who Tim recognized as one of the gang leader’s Jason had been planning to take down, stepped forward from the shadows, twirling a slender dagger in one hand, and Tim bit his tongue as the man reached out to caress Tim’s cheek, cooing, “Honestly, where </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>that fool Wayne find such </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty </span>
  </em>
  <span>pets?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim held his tongue and the gang leader set his thumb on Tim’s lower lip, continuing, “Open up, pretty boy. Let me see why Wayne keeps you around, hmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick shouted something in French that would’ve cost him at least a few dollars to the Swear Jar and the gang leader started to turn to look at him. Trying to keep the man’s attention off of Dick, Tim opened his mouth, allowing the man’s thumb in. The man smirked and purred, “Look at you, so obedien-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was cut off by Tim biting down as hard as he physically could. Which ended up being harder than he had anticipated, since his teeth just kept going through flesh and bone until he suddenly had the tip of an unintentionally severed thumb in his mouth and the gang leader was stumbling back, screaming incoherently. Tim spat out the chunk of thumb, catching Dick’s utterly stunned look, and the door smashed in to reveal Jason in all his red-helmeted glory, both guns up and ready to shoot. He froze when he saw the three, Tim and Dick chained up and the gang leader cradling his hand to his chest, screaming. Tim gave him a relieved look and Jason slowly stepped forward, asking, “Are either of you hurt?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim gave a weak smile, no doubt having blood on his teeth, and answered, “Uh, we’re not. But, um, the screaming guy may need a doctor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim winced, earning a choked giggle from Dick, and confessed, “Um, well, I, uh, kinda, sorta, maybe bit part of his thumb off on accident?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You… bit his… Know what? Let’s just get you two out of here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim nodded and Jason made quick work of picking the locks on their chains, then herded them out to where Red Bird was waiting. They clambered in and Tim pulled Dick against his side, asking, “Are you okay, Dick?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick nodded and rested his head against Tim’s shoulder, answering, “I just wanna take a shower.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim gave him a gentle squeeze and stated, “We’ll be home in a few minutes. You can go take a shower, then it’s time for a movie night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick nodded as they pulled into the Cave and scampered upstairs as soon as Red Bird stopped. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jason pulled his helmet and mask off, asking, “How the fuck do you bite someone’s thumb off </span>
  <em>
    <span>on accident,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tim?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim looked down, admitting, “He was being a creep and insinuating that Bruce was… y’know, with me, and he tried to put his thumb in my mouth, but Dick said some things that would make you proud, so in order to keep his attention on me, I bit his thumb as hard as I could, but I guess I underestimated my bite power, because next thing I knew, I had part of a thumb in my mouth that was no longer connected to its owner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stared at him for several long seconds, long enough for Tim to start shifting uncomfortably, before finally collapsing into helpless laughter. Tim blushed as Jason crumpled onto the floor, howling with laughter, and protested, “It’s not that funny! I didn’t mean to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed even louder and Tim pouted at him, then stated, “I’m gonna go shower. And brush my teeth. Twice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded and Tim hurried upstairs. He showered quickly and brushed his teeth twice to get the taste of blood out of his mouth, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants and one of Jason’s shirts before heading down to the kitchen, where Dick was waiting in his pajamas. Jason joined them a few minutes later, dressed in his own pajamas, and stated, “I ordered pizza. It’ll be here in 20.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio made their way to the living room and Tim wasted no time retrieving the giant fuzzy blanket from under the coffee table, settling down on the couch with Dick between him and Jason and covering all three in the blanket. Dick snuggled in and they channel-surfed for a bit, then went to get the pizzas when they arrived. The pizzas didn’t last very long and they soon settled on some cheesy 80’s action movie that was playing. Dick fell asleep 45 minutes in, having laid down with his head in Jason’s lap and his body in Tim’s, and Jason gently played with Dick’s hair, tugging Tim in against his side. Tim leaned his head on Jason’s shoulder, then quietly asked, “Have you ever thought about kids?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was silent for several long seconds and Tim had just opened his mouth to backpedal when Jason finally answered, “I- Yeah. I have. I know you don’t want them and that’s okay, but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who said I didn’t?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason fell silent at the interruption and Tim tilted his head up to kiss Jason’s jaw, stating, “I would love a kid or two. Maybe not babies, but older kids. We could adopt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason turned to look at Tim, a soft smile on his face as he asked, “Really? You- You want to adopt kids?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim shifted just enough to kiss Jason, then answered, “Yeah, I do.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact: You can actually bite through a human finger with relative ease. I've seen someone do it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jason woke up with a crick in his neck, Tim curled up against his side, and Dick sprawled across the both of them. Tim and Dick were both fast asleep and Jason’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that Tim wanted kids with him. He adjusted his head to rest it against Tim’s, hissing slightly at the ache in his neck from the weird angle it had been at, then closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet, peaceful morning. Tim shifted against him, snuggling in closer, and muttered, “Love you, Jay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason kissed the top of Tim’s head, answering, “Love you too, Baby Bird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Drake. Todd. Why is there a small… Is that Grayson?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason jolted at Damian’s sudden voice and Dick shifted with a sleepy noise before nestling closer to Jason and settling back into sleep. Jason looked at Damian, who was standing in front of the couch with an incredulous look, and answered, “Long story. We’re babysitting. He doesn’t know he’s been de-aged and we’re not allowed to tell him. Play nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian’s eyebrow rose higher and higher as Jason spoke and he finally stated, “I see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. You staying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian tipped his head and answered, “Yes. My mission in San Francisco is complete.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim cracked open one eye and mumbled sleepily, “How’d it go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quite well. The rogue we apprehended proved to be quite receptive to the offer of rehabilitation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim gave Damian a smile, opening both eyes, and snuggled closer to Jason, stating, “Good job. B’ll be proud.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice work, Bat Brat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason could see Damian preen internally at the praise and couldn’t help his smile. For all that Damian pretended, it was obvious that he craved the family’s approval and validation like Tim craved coffee. It was honestly adorable, not that he’d ever say that where Damian could hear. Jason liked having his internal organs internal, thanks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick shifted again, stretching like a cat, and opened his eyes as he slowly sat up. He blinked in confusion when he saw Damian, then asked, “Um. Who are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason could see the minute twitch of Damian’s lips that meant he was fighting back a smile and Tim stated, “This is my younger brother, Damian. Damian, this is Dick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick gave Damian a bright smile and chirped, “It’s nice to meet you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled and Jason stretched, gently nudging Tim up and stating, “Breakfast time. You want anything, Damian?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian nodded and stated, “That would be most appreciated, Todd.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason slowly stood, rubbing his neck to get the crick out of it, and headed to the kitchen, listening to Dick pepper Damian with questions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The afternoon brought with it bright, hot sunshine, which Tim automatically deemed suspicious at best and most likely cursed, because this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gotham</span>
  </em>
  <span> and the last time Gotham had gotten sunlight, there had been an alien invasion, Poison Ivy tried to take over the city, and he had walked in on Bruce and Clark fucking in Bruce’s office. All within 6 hours of each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for Tim, Dick disagreed with his feelings and insisted on going to the park, since it was “such a nice day” and “it would be a waste to not use it”. Damian sided with Dick, the traitor, and Jason just liked watching Tim suffer, which is how Tim found himself sitting on a bench in the middle of Gotham Park, sweating through his t-shirt while Dick played tag with a group of other kids. Damian was sitting on a nearby rock, drawing in his sketchbook, and Jason had gone for a jog, the freak. Tim himself had emails on his phone that he was half-reading while keeping an eye on Dick, glancing up when he heard Dick shout. Dick seemed fine, so Tim returned to his emails, frowning when he realized how many emails he had from Tam with the subject line “Urgent”. He then rubbed his temples as he opened one and saw the grueling meeting schedule he had for the next Monday. The schedule was back to back to back to back meetings, a twenty minute lunch break, followed by 6 more meetings. At the bottom, Tam had added an apology and the number to the anonymous ‘Bitch About Your Boss’ line they had set up that had led to the biggest company-wide morale boost in W.E. history. Tempted though he was to use the number, Tim restrained himself to turning his phone off, resting his head on his knees, and muttering a mantra of “Bruce fucking owes me for this shit” a few times until the desperate urge to skip the country and move somewhere with no extradition treaty faded. Once it had, he straightened up and pulled up Tam’s number, hitting call. The moment she picked up, he stated, “There is literally no way in Hell. I will do a lot of things for you, Tam, you know I will, but there is no chance in Hell of me attending those meetings. I’d sooner let Ra’s al Ghul kiss me. I don’t care what I have to do, I don’t care who I have to bribe, blackmail, or kill, I’m not going to those damned meetings. Bruce will be back by then. Make him go. It’s his company.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tam hummed and answered, “Funny, he said the same thing, except he suggested I send you. Now, give me one good reason I should go and bother my dad until he bullies yours into attending the meetings instead of just relying on the fact that you’re a people-pleaser who would sooner die than give those old geezers on the Board another excuse to talk shit about you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim tipped his head back to stare at the sky, begging whatever higher power there was for mercy, then replied, “Y’know what? Fuck it. It’s his damn company and I have enough blackmail and favors I can call on to make him go to every meeting for the next hundred years. I’ll make him go to those damned meetings if it kills me. I have so many other things to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Atta boy. Shall I inform Dad that Bruce will be attending in your place?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Thanks, Tam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hung up on him and Tim set his phone down, looking up as Jason returned from his jog, dripping sweat. Tim wrinkled his nose and Jason grinned wickedly, dropping onto the bench beside Tim and wrapping Tim up in a hot, sweaty, </span>
  <em>
    <span>disgusting</span>
  </em>
  <span> hug. Tim did not squeal, he didn’t, but he did make a high-pitched noise of disgust and complaint, struggling to free himself from Jason’s sweaty hold. Jason was laughing, the jerk, and finally released Tim, who sprang off the bench and complained, “You’re such an </span>
  <em>
    <span>asshole</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jay!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason grinned and patted the bench beside him for Tim to sit back down, not sounding the least bit remorseful as he apologized, “Sorry, Baby Bird. You’re just so cute, I couldn’t resist the urge to hug you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim scowled and dropped back onto the bench, answering, “See if I don’t make you sleep on the couch tonight, jerk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick ran over to them before Jason could answer, chirping, “I heard Tim scream. Is everything okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed and reached out to ruffle Dick’s hair, answering, “Yeah, Timmy was just bein’ dramatic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim swatted Jason’s arm, arguing, “No, Jason was being gross.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick raised an eyebrow at them, then shrugged and ran over to Damian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Damian was peacefully sketching, minding his own business, when a chin rested on his shoulder and Grayson’s young voice asked, “Whatcha drawing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian’s extensive training was the only thing that kept him from jumping as he snapped his sketchbook closed and answered, “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson hummed thoughtfully and lifted his chin from Damian’s shoulder, then did a cartwheel and plopped down in front of Damian on the rock, stating, “Sure didn’t look like nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian silently cursed his eldest brother’s curiosity and tenacity, then replied tersely, “It is a gift for Drake and Todd. Their anniversary is approaching.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson leaned forward, setting his chin in his hands, and asked, “Can I see?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian hesitated, his mother’s voice echoing in his ears and calling him weak and foolish for childish drawings of family and home, then looked at Grayson’s blue eyes, so similar to and yet so different from the eyes that Damian knew. Finally, Damian sighed, “Promise you will not breathe a word of this to Drake or Todd?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson held out his hand, pinky extended, and Damian raised an eyebrow, asking, “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson’s nose scrunched up and answered, “Pinky promising.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian’s eyebrow crept higher and Grayson asked, “Don’t you know what a pinky promise is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson looked scandalized, but explained, “Link your pinky with mine. It’s a unbreakable promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian slowly reached out to link his pinky with Grayson’s and Grayson nodded, then released his pinky and leaned forward, chirping, “Now, show me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian opened his sketchbook up to his sketch and the reference photo he was using, a screenshot taken from the videofeed in his mask lenses. It was of Drake and Todd in their civilian clothing, sitting on the edge of their apartment building’s roof looking at the sky. Grayson cooed as he looked at it and Damian stated, “I intend to do a larger painting of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson beamed up at him and chirped, “That’s such a sweet idea! I bet they’ll love it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian smiled and took his sketchbook back as Grayson continued, “You’re really good at drawing. My mom…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trailed off, face falling, and Damian tipped his head curiously, asking, “Your mother what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson shrunk down slightly, then answered, “My mom used to draw sometimes, when we were travelling. She’d draw me or Dad or the other performers. She helped design the new posters for Haly’s, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian’s heart clenched and Grayson shrunk down slightly, mumbling, “She was so excited to design the posters for the Gotham show.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian hesitated, then awkwardly wrapped an arm around Grayson. Grayson snuggled into it without hesitation and Damian stated stiffly, “If you would like, I can teach you to draw.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grayson smiled sadly and answered, “I’d… I’d really like that. Thank you. Bruce taught me to draw crime scene sketches and stuff, but it’s not the same.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian nodded and Grayson wiped his eyes, then stood up and stated, “We should go get ice cream.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned his attention to Drake and Todd and bounded over to them, prompting both of them to stand up. Damian tucked his art supplies back into his bag, then followed, smiling to himself.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm considering writing a de-aged Tim story. Anyone interested?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Short chapter, but it's a chapter. </p><p>My Tumblr is The-Devil-In-The-Details-666 if anyone wants to come say hello! I love hearing from y'all.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Giving Dick sugar was a mistake. The kid was hyper enough without whatever bright blue and pink <em> monstrosity </em>he had ordered and, after eating it, Jason was convinced Dick was channeling his inner speedster, running around the Manor and doing cartwheels and making a general nuisance of himself. Jason had tried to keep up, worried that Dick would hurt himself, but it was a task easier said than done and Jason finally gave up, retreating to the library and hoping that Dick wouldn’t get himself killed tap-dancing on the chandeliers or whatever 12-year old hellions with acrobatic training did. Tim soon joined him, curling up on the couch against Jason’s side and very unsubtly pulling up the website for the Gotham Foster Care. Jason smirked and set his book aside, wrapping one arm around Tim’s shoulders and asking, “Ready to pull a Bruce, Baby Bird?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim tipped his chin up to press a kiss to Jason’s jaw, then answered, “I am if you are.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason smiled, then answered, “Let’s do this, Baby Bird.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>They set up an appointment with one of the social workers to discuss their options, then headed down to the kitchen to start on dinner. It was suspiciously quiet and Tim’s heart sank as he wondered if Dick had hurt himself or worse. Jason looked equally concerned and they were about to split up to go investigate when Damian’s imperious voice reached them, stating, “Excellent work for your first piece, Grayson.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason looked relieved and continued on his way to the kitchen, but Tim, infinitely curious, wandered over to one of the side-parlors that had been turned into an art studio once Bruce learned that Damian liked art. Dick was seated at the large drawing table, a sketchbook in front of him, and Damian was behind him, explaining what Dick had done well and what he could do better. Tim walked over, footsteps intentionally audible, and asked, “What’s going on here?”</p><p> </p><p>Damian ignored him, because it was <em> Damian </em> and despite all his improvements, he was still a brat, but Dick twisted to look at Tim and cheerily answered, “Dami is teaching me to draw!”</p><p> </p><p>Tim raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is he now? Can I see?”</p><p> </p><p>Dick picked up the sketchbook and spun to show it to Tim, looking deeply pleased with himself. Tim looked at the book and whistled softly, praising, “Wow, Dick, that’s awesome!”</p><p> </p><p>The drawing was of Bruce and Dick himself, sitting on the couch that used to be in the library. Tim recognized it from the photo that was on Bruce’s screensaver rotation and handed the sketchbook back to his currently-younger brother, ruffling Dick’s hair and stating, “Alright, I promised Jay I’d help with dinner, so I’ll leave you two to your art.”</p><p> </p><p>Damian made a shooing motion and Tim rolled his eyes, retreating to the kitchen to ‘help’ Jason.</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>Dinner went quickly and they were soon heading out on patrol. They had just dropped down to help two drunk men arguing over keys when Dick suddenly did a backflip and shouted, “Holy cheese, Red Robin, the Batsignal is lit!”</p><p> </p><p>One of the drunks gave a snort of laughter, then looked over at Tim and asked, “Where did you <em> find </em>this kid?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim choked on his own laugh and answered, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”</p><p> </p><p>Dick did a handful of cartwheels and flips while Tim called a ride for the two drunks, then they headed towards the GCPD building, landing behind Gordon, who was tapping a foot impatiently. Tim cleared his throat, then greeted, “Commissioner Gordon. Batman is out of town with the League. How can we help you?”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon turned and Tim knew the exact moment he saw Dick, because Gordon’s eyes went wide and he glanced between Tim and Dick for a moment before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, muttering, “How is this my life?”</p><p> </p><p>Then he opened his eyes again and stated, “Red Robin, Robin, good. We’re getting reports that there have been seven politicians who have gone missing in the last three days. We think that there may be mob involvement.”</p><p> </p><p>He handed over a small stack of files to Tim and Tim began flipping through them, stating, “We’ll look into it, Commissioner.”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon glanced back at Dick as Jason swung onto the roof and Jason walked over to lean his elbow on Tim’s shoulder, asking, “What’s that?”</p><p> </p><p>Dick immediately bounded over and scaled Jason, flipping himself over to do a one-handed handstand on Jason’s shoulder as he cheerily answered, “Case files.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason hummed and Gordon pursed his lips, then started, “So. Robin seems… <em> hyper</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t remind me, Commish. We gave him ice cream earlier and it was a nightmare.”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon raised an eyebrow, giving Jason an unimpressed look, and Tim suggested, “Hood, why don’t you and Robin continue on patrol? I’m going to head back to the Cave and work on this.”</p><p> </p><p>Dick did a flip off of Jason’s shoulder and Jason answered, “Alright. C’mon, Robin, let’s leave the nerd to his work.”</p><p> </p><p>The two swung off and Gordon pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, “Where did you find <em> another </em> Robin and <em> why </em> is he wearing… <em> that </em> version of the Robin uniform?”</p><p> </p><p>Tim grinned, then answered, “He’s not a new Robin, he’s an old Robin. The <em> oldest </em>Robin.”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon paused, then took a deep breath and replied, “I see. And is he… aware of his <em> situation</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope, and we can’t tell him. Zatanna said it’ll wear off in a few days.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon shook his head, looking entertained, and sighed, “And I thought my life was weird. How do you people live like this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Caffeine and compartmentalization, Commissioner Gordon.”</p><p> </p><p>“You people need therapy.”</p><p> </p><p>Tim laughed despite himself and answered, “Everyone in Gotham needs therapy, Commissioner. Have a good evening.”</p><p> </p><p>Gordon nodded and Tim tucked the files away, diving off the edge of the roof and swinging away towards the Cave.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bruce entered the Manor and was immediately met with a terrifyingly familiar, high-pitched scream that made his heart sink to his feet. In a heartbeat, he had dropped his bag and was sprinting towards the sitting room where the scream had come from. He burst into the sitting room, prepared to beat whoever had attacked his child into the dirt, and instead found himself staring at Dick and Jason on the floor, Tim in the nearby armchair filming it. Dick was red-faced and teary-eyed, laughing breathlessly as Jason pinned him to the floor with one knee and mercilessly tickled him. Bruce’s heart rate slowly returned to normal and he forced his breathing to steady before stepping in and carefully extracting Dick from Jason’s hold. Dick, still breathlessly giggling, quickly scrambled around Bruce’s side to cling to his back like a baby monkey, resting his chin on Bruce’s shoulder as Bruce asked lightly, “What’s going on here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason smirked, looking unforgivably smug, and, sounding indignant, Dick answered, “We were talking about villains and Jason asked if I had ever fought the Tickle Monster! When I said no, he attacked me!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason looked indescribably pleased with himself and Bruce couldn’t help his own grin, recalling fond memories of Dick having done the exact same thing to Jason, Tim, and Damian in the past. Rather than voice that, however, Bruce replied, “Don’t worry, Robin, I’m sure that the two of us together can defeat the Tickle Monster and give him a taste of his own medicine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason paled, suddenly looking much less smug, and Batman and Robin attacked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three hours later, Bruce was stretched out on the couch, Dick sprawled on his lap and chest and fast asleep. Jason was in a similar position on the other couch, Tim napping in his lap, and Bruce couldn’t help his fond smile as he softly stated, “You two are good with him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason glanced over at him, looking puzzled, and Bruce elaborated, “Dick. You and Tim are good with him. You’d make good parents.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason blushed at that, then, after a moment, answered, “We’ve been thinking about adopting. We, uh, made an appointment with a social worker to discuss our options.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce’s heart swelled and he smiled at Jason, stating, “I’m proud of you. Both of you. I think you’ll make great parents.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason blushed brighter, ducking his head and looking away, and answered, “Tim, maybe. I’m not so sure-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am. You’ll be a great parent, Jaylad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason was steadily turning scarlet and he mumbled something under his breath, then stated, “I suppose I can’t be any worse than my bio parents.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce smiled slightly and Dick stirred where he was curled on top of Bruce, then settled down and mumbled, “Shhhh.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason looked fond and Bruce ran his fingers through Dick’s hair, then stated, “If you and Tim do end up adopting, I’m willing to babysit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason laughed, then answered, “I’ll keep that in mind. Man, it’s crazy to think about you as a grandpa.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just think about how I feel. I’m barely 45, I’ve got five kids, and I might be a grandpa soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They lapsed into silence, then Jason finally asked, “How did you know you were ready? To be a parent, I mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t. To be honest, I don’t think I was. But I’m glad that I made the decision to adopt all of you despite it. I don’t… I can’t even imagine not having you all in my life.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Even though we’re a bunch of migraine-inducing hellions who are smart enough to know when something is a bad idea and stupid enough to still do it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce laughed at that, a true laugh, not his Brucie laugh, and answered, “You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t. And yes, even though you cause me many, many headaches, I still can’t imagine my life without you all in it. And I don’t even want to try.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason shifted, clearly unsure what to do with that confession, and was saved from having to answer by Dick shifting, his face scrunching up in pain. He curled into a ball and Bruce gently rested a palm against his forehead, brow furrowing at the unnatural heat as he stated, “You’re burning up, chum.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick gave a pained little noise, then mumbled, “Hurts.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What hurts?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick waved a hand to encompass his entire body, then curled tighter as his skin began glowing. Bruce made eye contact with Jason, understanding dawning on both of them. Jason scooted Tim off his lap carefully, heading up to grab Dick a change of clothes, and Bruce gently petted Dick’s hair, scooting him onto the couch. The glow got brighter and brighter until Bruce was forced to shield his eyes, then there was a pop and the sound of seams tearing. Bruce slowly uncovered his eyes as Jason re-entered and Dick, back to an adult, squirmed uncomfortably in his too-small, partially ripped clothes. Jason tossed a pair of sweatpants and one of Dick’s t-shirts at him, then stated, “Good to have you back to normal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick blinked, then teared up suddenly and launched himself at Jason, who looked distinctly panicked as he was enveloped in a patented Dick Grayson Octopus Death Squeeze. Jason managed to wriggle one arm free of the death squeeze, patting Dick’s shoulder, and Dick half-sobbed, “You guys were so sweet to me while I was a kid!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jason continued patting Dick’s shoulder awkwardly, then answered, “You’re welcome, I guess? Now please get off of me and put on some pants that fit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick squeezed tighter, but finally released Jason and took the offered change of clothes, heading out of the room to go change. Jason dropped back onto the couch, startling Tim awake, and Tim blinked blearily, then moved to curl back up in Jason’s lap just as Dick re-entered the room, half-dragging a disgruntled-looking Damian. He snagged Bruce’s wrist with his free hand and managed to drag the both of them over to the couch where Jason and Tim were, pulling them down into a giant tangled mess of cuddles. Tim, who had ended up getting half-squished by Dick, groaned and shoved at his oldest brother, grumbling, “I liked you better as a 12-year old who was all hero worship.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dick patted Tim’s head, then answered, “To be fair, I also liked </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> better as a 12-year old who was all hero worship.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tim made a face up at Dick, but sighed and resigned himself to being stuck until Dick deigned to let them go. Bruce laughed to himself, then wrapped his arm around Dick and pulled him into a hug, stating, “It’s good to have you back, chum.”</span>
</p>
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